Never Try to Steal from a Former Thief
by celticgothhardy
Summary: A former thief catches a current one.
1. June, 2005

Disclaimer: I don't own Highlander or Smallville.

My mind started thinking. I did this little fake thing in my profile on Facebook and it evolved into this.

AU from Highlander as RICHIE IS ALIVE! (Sorry, I didn't like it when he died.)

Since some people may not know about one show or the other, here's a small summary.

_Highlander_ is about immortals that can only die by decapitation. The main immortal of the show is Duncan MacLeod. He's over 400 years old. Richie Ryan, one of the two main characters of the story, met Duncan, aka Mac, when he was robbing Mac's store. He moved in with Mac and Tessa, Mac's girlfriend and became a sort-of son to the two. Richie and Tessa were killed during a mugging. That was when Richie experienced his first death, becoming immortal like Mac. Mac is Richie's teacher and close friend. Methos, aka Adam Pierson, is the oldest immortal known to the others. He is around 5000 years old. He is (or was, I don't know) a Watcher, someone that records and studies immortals but don't interfere. He was, at one point, researching himself. Richie is right now living in Star City with his girlfriend, Andrea. (She is in fact Andrea Rojas, aka Angel of Vengence, from _Smallville_.)

_Smallville _is about the teenage years of Clark Kent, aka Superman. The second character in the story is super-speeder Bart Allen, aka the Flash or Impulse. This point of the story would take place around season 5 of the show. At this point, Bart Allen has met Clark, stolen Jonathon's wallet, become friends with Clark and almost gotten killed when he stole a priceless artifact from Lex's mansion. He tried to sell it to Hanison, got tricked and knocked out as Hanison arraigned for Lex to come and collect the artifact for a price. Hanison's enforcer got beat up by Lex; Hanison knocked out Lex and was about to shoot Bart. Clark came in, stopped Hanison by throwing him through a roof. Other guy ran off. Bart double crossed Clark and was going to kill him using kryptonite but Clark talked him out of it. Bart sped off after changing his mind. He gave the artifact back, challenged Clark to a race and won, leaving Smallville.

_

* * *

_

_Star City, June 2005 (Richie Ryan's Side)_

_  
_Richie Ryan was waiting for a friend to get out of the store he was currently waiting in front of. He kept checking his watch and waited for them to come out. It's not he didn't have time; he just wanted to get back and start on the dinner he had planned for a few old friends. Convincing Mac and Methos (as he now knew about him after watching Mac and him fight and Mac shouted his name) to come and visit had been a challenge, but nothing compared to going up against Mac in a challenge.

It was an hour before he had to get the older immortals from the airport. He was still waiting for his friend when he felt someone behind him trying to lift his wallet. He spun around while grabbing the offending wrist. Standing behind him was a kid, a couple of years younger than he was when he was trying to rob Mac's store. He was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and a pair of yellow cords. His hair was trying to stand and failing miserably as it was beginning to get too long.

"Hey, let go," he immediately said, wriggling in his grasp.

"Right after you tried to lift my wallet. No way kid," he replied, taking back his wallet and putting him in a headlock. "How about I take you to the police station?"

"For what? A failed robbery? You wanna try explaining that?"

"Oh, I think I can." At that moment, Richie felt the presence of another immortal. While he searched around for a face in the crowd, he moved his arm down around the kid's shoulders. "Listen to me, I tell you to run, run."

"No problem about that," he whispered. His face took on a look of confusion and fear. _Mac keeps saying I looked like that when I met him. This kid's a miniature version of me. Less experienced. _He smirked until spotting what caused the feeling.

He moved his arm back up while shouting, "Mac! When did you get in?" The kid had noticed this and started fighting his grip again, his face erasing the fear and replacing it with an anger-type look. "Stop trying, it's not going to work."

"Girlfriend's?" another voice asked. Methos stepped to the side of Mac.

"Funny, _Adam_," he emphasized, wrestling him into a better hold that wouldn't hurt his neck. "I caught him trying to lift my wallet."

"Ahh, so he's a younger version of you," Mac joked.

"Funny, funny. For a moment, I almost forgot how funny you were," he said. He checked his watch again and looked back at the store.

"Problem, Rich?" Mac asked.

"It's Andrea. She's been in there for the last hour. How long can it take for a sales clerk to find two bottles of good wine?"

"Depends on how good the clerk is. I once had to wait for three hours before the guy finally read the labels on the shelves to find out he was in the wrong section of years," Methos recounted.

The kid cracked at this, laughing so hard that he had to lean into Richie to keep himself from cutting off his air supply. Richie, unsure if this was another attempt or simply a kid being a kid, let go of his neck, placed a hand on his shoulder and waited for him for him to stop bending over laughing. After a minute, he pulled himself up and Richie felt safe enough to just put an arm around his shoulders.

"Finally," someone exclaimed. All four turned around to see a woman wearing glasses, a modest skirt and blouse carrying a brown bag with two bottles of wine sticking out. "That man could not read. He kept trying to give me an '84 when I asked for an '89. Even I could tell." She tapped on her glasses to accentuate the last point. She then noticed the kid Richie had his arm around. "Something you want to tell me?"

Richie motioned her over and held her close so he wouldn't hear. "Pickpocket. Caught him in the act."

Andrea nodded and went over to him. "I have a proposition for you," she addressed the kid. He looked up. "No stealing any of our stuff and you have a bed, two free meals and no trip to the police."

"Two?"

"Dinner and breakfast."

He looked back to something off in the distance before answering. "Yeah, sure. No stealing." Richie pats his shoulder a couple of times and the group walks off.

"Honey?" Andrea poses.

Richie laughs. "Oh, this is Duncan MacLeod and Adam Pierson." He pointed out each as he said their names. Duncan shook her hand and Methos simply waved and gave a small smile. The kid looked behind them again as they were entering the building and Richie notices. "Hey, Andrea, why don't you take him up and start on dinner please? I'll be up in a couple of minutes before helping with the chopping," he distracted, kissing her lightly on the cheek and pushing the kid towards her. She nodded and lays a hand on his shoulder to lead him upstairs.

He turns back to the other immortals, serious. "See what I see?"

Mac nods. "He's watching a man that's been following us. Saw him appear when we were talking."

Methos looked across the street where the man was standing. "If I remember correctly, I was talking to a retired watcher and he noticed the man talking to a young male. Said his name was Hanison, a local fence of Metropolis' Suicide Slums."

"Wonder what the kid did to anger him," Richie noted.

"What, Richie? Didn't you piss off any of your fences by being late or skimming?" Mac asked.

Richie ignored the question, but his expression got darker. "Mac, if that kid's in danger, maybe we should help in out. He's almost like me. I noticed that all the times I gave him a chance to disappear, he didn't and that was before the Andrea's offer. Not to mention, I could have sworn he moved closer when I was talking to Andrea."

"Saw that too, had the same face you had when I challenged you in the store," Mac noted.

"So what is his backstory?" Methos posed as the ultimate question.

_

* * *

Same Place, Same Time (Bart Allen's SIde)_

_He's going to catch to me. _Bart Allen was making his way through the crowd of Star City trying to get away from the guy that had pointed a gun at him a year ago. _No Clark to save me this time. _His face was grim as he maneuvered around the people to lose him in the crowd.

He had already gotten him once. Hanison had him for two days while he beat the crap out of him for getting him in jail. During one of his runs to get the drug he became addicted to in jail, Bart managed to cut the tape on his wrists by a piece of broken glass that came from the previous night's torture session.

After two hours of going down back alleys and through stories to the back, he had finally gotten rid of him. He looked for someone he could easily swipe off of so he could get a decent hotel to stay for the night to recuperate. _Not like I'm going to be getting much sleep._

He spotted the curly haired guy standing outside of a wine store. He had a leather jacket on and a wallet sticking out of the back pocket. _Way too easy. _He slid behind the guy and started nudging the wallet out. That's when the hand slapped on his wrist. He winced as the hand was on the wrist he cut with the glass used on the tape.

"Hey, let go," he reacted, wriggling in his grasp. _Crap, this guy could be working for him for all I know._

"Right after you tried to lift my wallet. No way kid," he replied. He pulled Bart forward and put an arm around his neck. He squirmed to try and loosen the grip. "How about I take you to the police station?"

_It could be a trick. Something to make me give up so he can bring me back to Hanison._ "For what? A failed robbery? You wanna try explaining that?"

"Oh, I think I can." _Not working for Hansion. _He twisted his head to look up at the guy's face. It went from slightly smiling to serious in a nanosecond. His head moved while his arm moved down from Bart's neck to his arms, pulling him in close in case of something. "Listen to me, I tell you to run, run."

Bart was taken back from the sudden change of events. This guy wanted to take him to the station a few seconds ago. Now, he was ready to protect him. _Whatever this guy's serious about; it's enough to be afraid of. _"No problem about that." The guy looked down for about half a second before scanning the crowd again.

"Mac! When did you get in?" he yelled, noticing two figures coming closer to them. The guy's arm moved back up to his neck and Bart started squirming again. "Stop trying, it's not going to work," he said in a condescending voice. He scowled and squirmed more.

He didn't hear a lot of the conversation after that. He heard the part about wrong section of years and started laughing. He kept laughing because his emotions were going to one place and wanted to get out. He didn't notice the guy had let go of his neck and stopped laughing after about a minute. He stood back up and only felt the arm on his shoulders. _Friendly, but ready in case I bolt. _He didn't feel that uncomfortable with them. It was sort of like with Clark and his family; they would look out for him because he didn't try anything that bad on them.

"Finally," someone exclaimed. Even he turned as the woman walked out of the wine store. The other three were looking at her. He was looking at something else in the crowd. _Hanison. _The man was about twenty feet away and closing in. He subconsciously moved closer to the guy. He saw the group that he was with and sent a body language that read plainly to coming after him.

"I have a proposition for you," someone said. He snapped his head back to see the lady in front of him. He listened to what she listed off. He was surprised when she said two meals.

"Two?"

"Dinner and breakfast."

He looked back to see Hanison holding something in his palm. Strangely enough, it looked like a gun and was coming up to meet him. "Yeah, sure. No stealing." A calming pat on his shoulder and they walk off.

Every couple of minutes he's looking back. Hanison's following, but not making a move. He keeps checking until they enter the building. He only notices the group again when he's being pushed a small bit toward the lady, who guides him upstairs.

The apartment is moderate. There was a couch with a matching loveseat and chair. An island in the kitchen substituted for a dining table and a TV was stationed by the wall facing the couch. It was in neutrals and blacks. Bart had comparatively the brightest colors there with his sweatshirt and pants.

"Here, I'll get you a drink," she proposed, moving him over to the island and sitting him down. She grabbed a glass and filled it up with milk.

"Thanks." He took a gulp out of it and watched as she started a couple of pans for the food. She had about half of it started when the guys came up. The guy that had been holding him, _Richie, _took up a knife and started chopping a bell pepper that had been left out. He finished his milk and went to join the other guys. They were on the couch, watching a game that was on the screen. He sat next to the guy that Richie had called Adam.

A buzzer sounded and Adam started getting animated. "It can't end this early. They haven't had the chance to play thanks to their best player," he scolded, at the TV. He turned to Bart after. "Bloody players can't even get in a hit thanks to the other team's best player. That and the ref keeps being on their side."

Bart smiled and watched the game with the guys until dinner was ready. Dinner was chicken parmesan with salad and a dessert of chocolate milkshakes with a peppermint after bite. Bart had two servings of each item and started feeling incredibly tired. "I think the day's events have gotten to him," a voice said. He pushed aside the dish in front of him and folded his arms to make a pillow for his head to rest on.

A sound of a chair rumbled in his semi-consciousness and he felt his arms being wrapped around two different bodies. "Room across the hall, Mac," another voice sounded. By now, he was already heading into slumber and didn't have enough energy to try and discern the voices. He didn't notice a difference until he felt himself being laid in a bed. Someone pulled the covers over him and ruffed his hair before heading out.

_

* * *

Back to Richie's Side_

"He's already asleep?" Richie asked Mac as they came back out to join them. Mac nodded while Methos walked over to the fridge and grabbed himself a beer.

"He was out when we were getting him there," he replied, going back to his milkshake.

"What are you going to do with him?" Methos asked, taking another sip out of his beer.

"I don't know. I can't exactly take him in; he still has parents out there that are looking for him. Can't turn him into the police, even as a potential runaway. It breaks the deal and he won't be able to trust anyone again," Richie pondered, taking a drink of water from a glass he had during dinner.

"You could always send him to Seacouver. I could use an extra hand in the gym," Mac offered.

"Do you really think he would go for it?"

"Don't know. Let's ask him tomorrow. We've got to be getting back to the hotel." Mac ended, giving Methos a slap on the shoulder and making him get up and leave the room.

--

_It's not a full Immortal. _He cracked an eye open and felt the weak presence of a pre-Immortal somewhere in the building. He moved from his position next to his girlfriend in order to get up without disturbing her. He grabbed the sword he now kept under the bed and moved out of the room.

Noticing a male going into the guest bedroom, he followed. He saw him hover over the kid for a while before pulling out a gun. "That's as far as you're going, buddy," he whispered, wary of the kid asleep in the bed.

"This doesn't concern you," he hissed, pointing the gun at him. A shot fired and hit him in the lower abdomen while the sword slashed down and landed on his arm, cutting a bone deep gash in the forearm and causing him to drop the gun, causing the kid to wake up. He moved away from the guy hovering over him and tried to make himself as small as possible against the wall.

Richie got up to confront the man and block his view of the kid. Hanison, as he could now recognize his face in the little light available, brought up his gun again. Richie grabbed on the wrist and twisted it until it was 180 degrees from its intended position. The gun dropped from numb fingers and he caught it in his other hand.

The kid ran out of the room and stopped as soon as he hit the hall. Andrea had her arms around his upper body and was holding him against her. She watched the fight between her boyfriend and the intruder, keeping his face out of view from the action. She knew what was going to happen and didn't want the boy to see it.

Richie brought up the sword and used the hilt to knock the man out by hitting him in the back of the head. He looked down at the gunshot wound to see the familiar blue lightning going over the wound and closing it up with the bullet disappearing. He looked at Andrea and the kid in her arms, that was now watching the lightning come out of different parts and heal all the wounds that he had sustained. "It looks like I need to explain something," he mumbled.

--

The police had come, taken statements from them and left after. The kid was sitting on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate that was half gone. Andrea gave him a full mug as Richie went over to sit down next to him. "All right," he starts.

"What are you? Are you like Clark?" he asks.

"Who's Clark?"

"Never mind."

"All right, do you want to tell me why Hanison was after you?" The kid bowed his head over his mug. "Okay, how about a name? We never got that far."

"Bart."

"Bart? Bart Simpson? Where's your skateboard?" The kid snorted. _And he's open._ "Let's get back to Hanison."

"I got him put into jail a year before. He was my fence when I stole things and needed money." He looked warily at the guy, but he just nodded. "I stole something that I shouldn't of. I almost got killed if someone hadn't intervened." His mind went back to Clark throwing him through the roof. "I don't steal for money. Just to get myself off the streets whenever I run myself down." _Like three days ago. _He recalled not being able to run after wearing himself down and being captured by Hanison.

"Okay, so did Hanison cause the bruises along your back?"

He turned to him. "How…"

"Your sweatshirt lifted up a couple of times. How heavy of a beating and how long?"

"Umm," he stalled, looking at the chocolate in his mug.

Richie sighed, "Andrea, please get the first aid kit." She nodded and went to the bathroom. "Take off your shirt."

Bart looked at him. "What?"

"I could also see the numerous cuts along your back. They need to be treated before they become infected."

Bart nodded and took off his sweatshirt so just the back was uncovered. Richie instinctively winced at the color of blue, purple, black and streaks of red that patterned the back. Andrea sat a bowl of lukewarm water with a washcloth in front of Richie. She noticed his sweatshirt would be irritating to the cuts along his back and went to get a t-shirt to cover him. He squeezed out the excess water from the cloth and started wiping it across his back.

"So, what are you?" Bart asked.

"What do you mean, what am I?"

"The blue stuff that healed all your wounds, what is it?"

"If I told you, would you promise never to tell anyone?"

Bart considered something. "I've got one better. You tell me your dark secret. I tell you mine."

"I thought being a thief was the dark secret."

"Nah, got one better."

"All right. The blue stuff is called Quickening. It's something that Immortals have. It possesses our knowledge, memories and some other stuff that I can't remember right now."

"Immortals? Are you telling me you're going to live forever?"

"Something like that. I'll stay the same age physically until someone gets my head and kills me."

"Gets your head?"

"Decapitates me."

"Oh." Bart stayed quiet for a couple of minutes while Richie dries off his back, applies medicine and covers the major cuts with bandages. "What about those other guys? And how did you know Hanison was here tonight?"

"We feel each other. Hanison isn't Immortal, but he does have the essence, power, whatever inside of him that could make him Immortal on his death. Mac and Adam are Immortal." Bart doesn't ask any more questions as Richie pulls the sweatshirt completely off him so he can get to the front side.

A couple of minutes later and an empty mug for the both of them and Richie had finished patching him up. "All right, you know about Immortals."

"And you want me to spill my big secret?" Richie nodded. Bart got up off the couch and speeded everything back into place. Richie tried to watch as a yellow and white streak moved across the living room. The first aid kit, the bowl and the shirt disappeared and the mugs were refilled with hot chocolate. He stopped in front of him.

"What was that?"

"Super speed. One day, there was this accident and a flash of light and I started running as fast as the speed of light." He blinked his eyes a couple of times and yawned loudly.

"Come on, Bart. Let's get you back to sleep. So I can get some sleep." Richie led him back to the bedroom and pulled the covers over him as he went to sleep for a second time.

--

"All right, if you get into trouble or need a place to crash," Richie started.

"I'll come to you before even trying to lift another wallet," Bart finished, eating the rest of the pancakes that were in front of him.

"Are you sure about Seacouver?"

"Thanks, but the city's got a hold over my heart." He put on his sweatshirt over the t-shirt. "Thanks for everything. And thanks for the offer."

"Try not to be a stranger," Richie said. Bart nodded, waved and walked out the door.

Andrea sat with him at the table. "Maybe he'll be okay."

"Yeah. I hope so." Richie bent over to kiss her on the lips while pulling her closer. "Why don't we have some dessert that we didn't get to yesterday?" He brought a devilish smile to his face that made Andrea grab his hand and pull him to the bedroom.

_

* * *

Bart's Side, A few weeks later_

Star City streets were quiet as he crept down to the fast food joint. He was in some serious mood for burgers and fries. Bart knew that Richie's offer still stands, but he didn't want to bug the guy when he was probably in the middle of something. Besides, he wasn't stealing a wallet; he was stealing a bag of food.

The fast food bag was waiting out on the table and the couple that was supposed to be enjoying it was preoccupied at the moment. He couldn't speed because his energy was depleted from trying to get away from Hanison again. He had read the paper about the riot and how he had died. _Oh shit, he's Immortal._ Hanison had been left behind in Seacouver where he had hid with Richie's friends for awhile without trying to get them involved with him. Now, he was back because Hanison had figured him out and followed him.

He was holding the bag and about to walk away from the table when someone grabbed him around the middle. He dropped the bag a few feet from the table and tried to wrestle whoever had him. He was carried back a few feet before being dropped on the ground. He twisted around and looked at the person.

_What is this guy? A walking plant? _The guy, _I can tell that much_, was wearing head to toe green leather with a hood over his face and nothing on his arms. _Arms that could choke me in a second._ He noted that the arms had plenty of muscle. "Hey, whatever you just saw," he started.

"Please, I've heard of you," a deep voice rang out. _Sounds like something from the Scream movies. _"I'm not here to hurt you. Just to offer you a job."

"What's the job?"

"Let's discuss this somewhere else." Bart didn't know why, but he felt safe with the guy somehow. Just like he felt safe with Clark's family and Richie and his friends. _How do I keep meeting the people that want to help me? _

* * *

Next chapter (and probably just as long): Richie gets involved with the Justice League and Lex Luthor.

Review please. The button's safe. It won't electro-shock you if you click. Please write something.


	2. June, 2007

D: I do not own _Highlander _or _Smallville. _Though I wish I could own the sunglasses that Bart Allen has. Those are cool.

Here's an update for _Smallville, _since this story takes place after season six.

Bart came back to Smallville, saving Chloe's life at the Daily Planet when a doctor on Lex Luthor's payroll had a gun pointed at her. Clark couldn't catch him, and only knew it was him when he came back and rubbed his face in it. Chloe and Clark were talking about the doctor and how Clark couldn't save her. Bart sped in, Chloe not noticing. He flirted with her, but she has a boyfriend. Bart told Clark how he changed his life and asked if he wanted to go down to Mexico for a burrito. Clark was dubious, but took up the offer. Later, he met with Lionel Luthor, who asked him if it wasn't him breaking into a Luthorcorp facility, who was it? The red blur on the photo Lionel showed Clark it was Bart. Clark confronted Bart, who couldn't tell him what was going on. He ran after that.

Bart's working with Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, to bring down 33.1, a secret project that Lex was behind. 33.1 gathered people with powers and experimented on them, while also trying to duplicate the powers and create super-powered soldiers. Bart was gathering information on the project. The computer Oliver had been hoping was the main computer was a trap. Bart was shocked, knocked out and captured by Lex. Clark confronted Oliver about it, who told him that he was working on 33.1 with two other people with powers, Arthur Curry (AC) and Victor Stone.

The guys broke into the facility that had Bart, who was being run down as a form of torture. Kryptonite was also being refined there, so Clark was incapacitated for a bit before the others got there. Vic, aka Cyborg, took down the security and downloaded information on 33.1. AC, aka Aquaman, got to the vault first and knocked out all the guys before Vic got there. Green Arrow went and recovered Clark, sent him to find Bart, aka Impulse, and went around planting bombs. All got out safe; the place was destroyed. They talked about the next place they were going to hit, tried to convince Clark to join them and left Smallville.

AN: This is an extremely long chapter. Longer than the first and way overdo. Hope you like it.

_

* * *

Metropolis, June 2007 (Bart Allen)_

Metal clanged together in the hallowed out shell of a factory that Bart was hiding in. He was waiting for fearless leader Oliver to go on patrol and get the information off his back. He couldn't get to the Tower since he had run out of energy just after hitting town. He had already spotted Hanison a while back and just hoped that he didn't see him.

Curiosity got the better of him and he followed the sounds to the main production room. Two men were fighting with swords. Sparks were coming off of the swords at certain points of time. He couldn't tell much about the two. _It's kind of like the blue lightning that Richie had. Could these guys be immortals? _He got as close as he needed without being discovered easily.

He saw a head of curly hair paired with a leather jacket. He couldn't see the face until the two switched places and Bart recognized Richie. "Come on, Richie, win this thing. Don't get killed," he prayed. After a few minutes of dueling, Richie got the advantage and decapitated his opponent. The body fell on the ground and the Quickening came out of it and surrounded Richie. Lightning struck everything in sight. Bart ducked when one hit just above his hiding place.

It ended quickly. Bart looked up to see Richie had fallen to his knees and was breathing hard. He crept out of his hiding place and made his way over. "Are you okay?" he asked from about five feet away.

"I'm fine, kid," Richie responded, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing here, kid? And what are you wearing?"

Bart sighed, taking off the glasses and hood. "I look a little different."

Richie was surprised. "Bart?" He made it a few steps before he collapsed, Bart coming under his arm and helping him to a place where he could sit. "What happened to you?"

"You just absorbed lightning and you're asking me if I'm alright. Dude, you need your head checked." Bart cracked a grin.

Richie brought out a handkerchief and rubbed it under Bart's nose. He held it up to show the blood he wiped off. "Hanison?"

"No, overexhaustion on my power. I ran from Brazil to here."

"Brazil? What for?"

Bart looked away while rubbing his arm. "I-I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"How bad of a secret is it when you're killing yourself over it?" He looked away at this and Richie sighed. "Look, help me back to my place and the offer still stands."

"I'll help you to your place, but I've got someone waiting."

"Girlfriend?" Richie joked.

Bart laughed, "I wished. No, this isn't a girl; it's an employer. And," Bart started, helping Richie up, "he's going to want a meeting when I get back."

"A meeting, at this time of night? Get my sword."

"Trust me; he's not going to be asleep." He retrieved the sword and Richie held it in his right hand, Bart at his left. They walked out of the factory, each watching the side streets. Bart was watching out for Hanison and a sign of Oliver; Richie was watching out for some of the new gangs that had been showing up.

"Where are you living now?"

"Queen Towers." Bart looked at him unbelievably. "It's true. Adam, you remember Adam, right?"

"You mean Methos?"

"How do you know?"

"Did Mac tell you that I ended up in Seacover?"

"Yeah, he felt Hanison and sheltered you for a couple of days."

"I heard Mac and him arguing and Mac yelled Methos at him. I asked and Methos cracked. I started calling him Meeth after that. He didn't take to the nickname."

Richie laughed, "No, I don't suppose he would. Well, anyways, he got offered a job doing research for a part of Queen Industries."

"What part?"

"He's very secretive about that part. But, he didn't want to leave his apartment someplace else and I needed a place to stay."

"What about your girlfriend back in Star City?"

"Didn't work out."

Bart clapped his shoulder. "Sorry, man." Richie half-heartedly smiled and wrapped an arm around him. They were just a block away when Richie started swiveling his head. He tightened his grip on Bart and pulled him close. "Immortal?"

"Move faster. I can't go for another fight tonight."

"Too bad, I was hoping for one. Wanted to pay you back for the cut you gave me a couple of years ago," a voice shouted. Richie and Bart both turned to Hanison. He was standing next to two guys that were walking advertisements for any gym.

"Well, gee, since I don't accept your challenge, we can't fight," Richie mocked, moving Bart behind him.

"You know, it doesn't really matter if you do that. I just shoot you and then kill the kid. Or I'll kill you and take him. Still have to finish what I started a couple of years ago. Ready for another round of broken glass, kid?" Bart gave an impulsive shiver and grasped his left arm, where the deepest cut had been.

Richie moved him back a couple of more feet and drew up his sword. "Your guys better be good, because you're not getting him." Hanison waved them forward and both came closer to Richie and Bart.

About three feet away from the two, an arrow embedded itself into the side of the building. A green gas was released and sprayed at the men. Both were unconscious within five seconds and fell to the ground. Hanison pulled out a gun and shot twice at Richie. The first embedded in his shoulder. The other was stopped by an arrow. Bart helped keep him up when Hanison decided it was too risky to go any further in his plans. He went the opposite way.

Richie looked around again and moaned. "Another immortal?" Bart asked.

"Yeah," he hissed, trying to keep himself up without Bart's help. It wasn't working.

"The one night I have off, you have to go and screw it up," a familiar voice said, "I was sitting down with a good Watcher's book and a beer."

"Methos," they both said, as the man himself stepped around the corner of the building.

"Yes, Methos, who else would it be, Boy Scout?"

Bart laughed at Boy Scout. "Sorry, I knew a guy and everyone called him a Boy Scout."

"Methos is talking about Mac." Bart had an 'oh' look on his face.

"Impulse! What are you doing with your hood and glasses off?" a mechanized voice shouted.

Bart winced at the voice before answering. "Sorry, Boss man."

"Boss man?" Richie and Methos quipped. The Green Arrow stepped out of the shadows. His face was covered by shadow and glasses, but Bart still gulped after the man after he turned in his direction.

_

* * *

Richie's Side_

Richie stared at Bart for the first couple of seconds. "Could this be the employer you needed to meet?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bart squeaked. _Great, if the kid's scared of him, why is he working for him?_

"I asked you, why is your hood and glasses off?" the guy in front of them asked.

"Because I wouldn't recognize him with the things off. I would have started attacking him if he hadn't taken them off. Now, who are you?" Richie asked him.

"Perhaps I can help with that Richie. But we need to get to the tower before they wake up and Hanison comes back," Methos said, taking the sword and helping Bart half drag, half walk Richie over to Queen Towers. They went to a side entrance while Methos punched in a code. The door opened and revealed an elevator set in a room. Costumes, ranging from Bart's fully red one to the 'Boss' green one, covered the walls. There was also a spare set of arrows.

"Meeth, didn't know you were in Arrow's inner circle," Bart pointed out.

"Does this have to do with your research, Methos?" Richie asked.

"Methos?" 'Boss' asked.

"Can you people wait?" Methos angrily inquired, leading Richie and Bart over to the elevator. He waited until all were in the elevator before starting it up. Richie was looking at the bullet wound in his shoulder. It was healing slowly, but considering it was right after a Quickening, it was going well.

"Bart, when we get up, I want an explanation," 'Boss' said in his normal voice, not taking off his hood or glasses. The elevator stopped at the top level, revealing a large living room. Bart helped Richie over to a couch and walked to the kitchen. He disappeared for a couple of minutes before coming back with glasses of water. He took his and drained it before trying to go back for another. "Sit, Bart!"

Bart sighed and sat back down. "What do you want me to start with?"

"Information." Bart pulled out an odd shaped flash drive and handed it to him. He placed it next to a computer and turned back to him. "Why did you reveal your identity?"

"I knew Richie. I couldn't get back to the Tower because I ran out of energy. I hid in a factory where…" Bart cut off and looked at Richie.

"Where what, Bart?"

"It's all right, Bart. He knows," Methos assured him, "He caught me after I went after Hanison. He shot me and then ran off. I was starting to come back when he came up."

"Richie was in the middle of a battle. He won. I came up to him after. He didn't recognize me immediately, so I dropped my hood and glasses."

Richie picked up at that point. "Bart helped me out. He didn't reveal your secret. I offered him a place to stay. He didn't take it because he needed to meet with you." Richie raised himself off the couch to fully face the guy. "What type of employer forces his employees to run until they're exhausted and vulnerable?"

"One that's trying to shut down people that are kidnapping people like you and Bart."

"What are you talking about?"

The man pointed to the couch. Bart tried to get back up, but he noticed and Bart fell back down. "Lex Luthor has a secret project going on called 33.1. It takes people with abilities and experiments on them. He's also trying to create the perfect soldier. He's taken the abilities of several to try and create one. We encountered him several times."

"How in the hell do we come into it?" Richie asked, pointing at Methos and himself.

"Lex found an immortal. He tested on him and thought he had powers of healing and coming back from the dead. The one he captured was Hanison. Hanison struck out a deal and is now working for him, finding other immortals they can try and steal the power inside you. I thought that Adam Allen was a normal accountant in my firm, until I saw him fighting Hanison and get killed. I intervened before he could take his head. After that, I offered him a better job. Now, why are they calling you Methos?"

"Oh bugger," Methos mouthed. "I'm not a new or newer immortal. In fact, I've been living for a good long time."

"How long?"

"At least over a thousand years."

"At least?"

"Yes, and at one point, I was called Methos." He stretched back in his chair and swept his hands at their leader. "Now, come on, reveal your identity. We could use Richie's help."

"Not to mention, I can keep secrets," Richie put in on his behalf.

"Fine." The man took off his hood and glasses, revealing himself as Oliver Queen.

"Why am I not surprised?" Richie pondered, "Rich guys and their problems." Oliver grew angry and Bart started snickering. "Come on, you should check out the place I'm living in." He clapped Bart's shoulder and lifted himself off the couch. His shoulder was sore, but healed fully.

They rode another elevator down to the fifteenth floor. Richie brought out his key and opened a door on the right side of the hall. "Whoa," Bart stated. One half of the wall was covered in DVDs surrounding a flat screen TV with a full entertainment center. The other wall had antiques ranging from vases to swords, being held up in a fully locked case. Right off the living room was the kitchen, covered in cherry wood and stainless steel.

"Whoa is right. I've accumulated a lot through the years. Birthday presents mostly." Richie saw him move over to the swords. He smirked, "Those are from other immortals."

"That you've taken."

"Yep. I don't like it. I only do it because my life or someone I know and like is being threatened." Richie moved him away from the display. "Come on. I've been watching some of the cooking shows and I don't burn water. I'll make some mac and cheese."

"You just want to get me away from the swords."

"Yeah." Bart laughed and walked with him to the kitchen. Richie kept the mood light by joking and having him help out. What he really wanted was to talk about he knew Bart wouldn't want to talk about.

_Ready for another round of broken glass, kid?_

A whole box of macaroni flew right into Bart's mouth. Richie thought he only had a bowl and he was full. Bart had three bowls and was still eating. "Bart, I think you've had enough." Bart answered him with a yawn. "Told ya. "

"I need to get back up."

"I've got an extra bedroom."

"I've got a bedroom up in the penthouse."

"Are you going to make it up without falling asleep?" Bart nodded and left for the door. Richie heard it open and close a few minutes after. He didn't expect the sound of footprints coming back into the room. He turned around and saw Hanison behind Bart. He had a gun trained on his head. Hanison didn't waste any time and shot Richie a few times in the chest. While he was fighting for consciousness, Bart was fighting with Hanison. Hanison was stronger, and was able to knock him out within the time it took for him to die.

_

* * *

Back to Bart_

It took about thirty minutes for Richie to wake. By then, Hanison had both of them taped and lying down on the living room floor. Hanison had already given him a couple of welcoming punches before going through Richie's stuff while waiting for him to wake up.

"You got a good spread. Half of these will fetch for ten grand," he granted, seeing Richie awake. His gun was tucked in his holder and he had his sword out. "On the black market, they'll go for more."

"How in the hell did you get in without either one of us feeling you?"

"I didn't really leave after the other two came along. I followed along." He played the sword along Richie's neck.

"You know, Adam Allen is also here. He can defeat you."

"I have no doubt. Which is why I'm not challenging him."

"What are you doing?" Richie watched him force Bart to his feet.

"Using the kid. Luthor's coming to watch over the capture of two immortals and the freak personally. I use the kid to get Adam down here."

"Adam's not exactly that much of a boy scout. What makes you think he'll come down?"

"Well, he'll come down after I go up. Move." He pushed Bart in front of him. Two guys took place of Hanison as Bart was forced out of the apartment. He was half dragged to the elevator, where a round of tape went around his mouth. "Just keep with the hostage routine and don't do anything stupid."

Bart glared at him. He moved over to the back of the elevator. Hanison kept glancing at the display and him. His hands were feeling around for the panic button that Oliver had installed a while back. It would alert the penthouse if there was a hostage situation in the elevator and won't allow it to open. _Come on, Ollie pointed it out in a corner. Which corner? _He was directly across from the control panel and needed to get to the opposite corner to check it out.

The problem was Hanison was in that corner. He couldn't get behind him without drawing attention to what he was doing. So, he made himself the diversion. He flew to the control panel and started pressing random buttons. Hanison hit him across with the butt of the gun and threw him to the other side. He forced himself to keep standing and ignored the blood now flowing around his eye. He felt the button and pushed it all the way in.

The cabin kept moving, but a different color showed up on the display. Bart slid down the wall and waited for the cabin to stop. He blinked his eyes several times to get the blood out. _It's working. _The display read P; then the cabin went dark. "What the hell?" he hissed, trying all the buttons.

"It won't work," a mechanical voice boomed. Bart recognized the Green Arrow voice. "Nothing will open the doors unless I choose to."

"Well, you might want to choose. I've got a member of your team and he's getting shot in three minutes unless you open the doors." He pointed the gun over at Bart and shot once above his head to prove his point, causing Bart to duck. He raised his head when Hanison wasn't looking.

"My people knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed on."

"Your call." He walked over to Bart and placed the gun directly against his head. "Say your prayers, kid." A green gas started spewing exactly where Hanison's head was. He coughed and choked until he was on the ground.

_The knockout gas!_ Bart held his breath until the door opened. Someone rushed in and slid a mask over his nose and still taped mouth. The other person checked on Hanison. "He's out," a slightly accented voice answered. _Methos._

"Good, we can interrogate him for answers," the voice next to him decided. Methos went out and came back in with duct tape. The person next to him helped him up and rushed him out. Methos taped up Hanison and gagged him before dragging him out. A button next to the elevator was pushed and the doors closed. A vacuum started inside the cabin, sucking out all the gas. Bart waited as patient as he could for someone to take off the gag. No one was paying attention to him, though, so he kicked the leg of the guy next to him, Oliver, lightly. "Sorry Bart." He took out a knife and cut the tape around his wrists.

Bart had to pull down the mask to get to the tape around his mouth. "What about Richie? He's still down there with two guys and Luthor's coming," he informed them.

"AC and Vic have it under control. They're down at the apartment taking out anyone they have. I'll go deal with Luthor when he shows up."

"What about me?"

"Adam is going to clean you up, and then you're going to sleep. You're no use to us worn out."

"What are you going to do with him?" Bart nodded at Hanison.

"He's going to be in the living room. We're going to interrogate him and when we're done, we release him. He'll probably go back to Lex and we can track him with the implant chips we've been working on."

"He's not going to be alone at any point in time, right?"

"Bart, why are you worried about him?"

_It's not him I'm worried about. It's me. _"Just want to make sure."

"Security just let in Luthor. He'll be at the apartment in ten minutes. I need to get down there." Oliver opened the doors of the elevator and went back down.

"Come on, Bart. I'll take care of your head in the kitchen. Hanison's still out; we'll be fine for another half-hour." The first aid kit was already out and on the table. Methos had to sit Bart down to get to his head, cleaning up the blood and applying gauze to cover the area. "Don't move too much."

"I don't like the tape on my skin."

"You won't need the bandage tomorrow. It's just for tonight. Keep your hair out of the wound."

"It was already in it."

"This is for the night, when someone isn't around to get it out of the way. You're done." Methos packed up the kit. "Get to sleep."

"Sure, Meeth."

"Don't call me that." Bart backed down and went to his bedroom. It wasn't as red as he would like it, but the red sheets helped. He changed into the shirt and bottoms from the night before and hit the bed. He had barely moved enough to be in a comfortable position that he was asleep easily.

_

* * *

Richie's Side_

The two guys that Hanison left with him must have been gym buddies of the guys that they took out. Richie had to lie there while they talked about the latest episodes of a show on a channel he didn't even want to scan over. _I would rather have Luthor here instead of these two. _He looked around to find anything that he could use to cut the tape.

"Hey, who are you two?" Car guy asked.

"The cleanup crew," one of the new people sassed. Richie felt two vibrations as the guys were knocked out fighting the newcomers.

"I'm guessing this is the guy he sent us to help out," another one noted. He felt a knife going through the tape.

"Thanks," he said.

"It's our job. I thought this was Adam's place."

"Adam didn't want to live here and I needed a place. Name's Richie."

"Aquaman, this guy's Cyborg," the blond guy introduced.

Cyborg wasn't paying attention; he was listening to a device on his ear. "Green Arrow wants him up to the penthouse. Adam's already up there," he informed them.

"Luthor's coming."

"He knows. Impulse warned him. Hanison's also up there."

"How long is it going to take?"

"He's coming down; we're going up." They were at the elevator when it opened on cue to show Oliver. "Anything else?"

"Make sure Hanison doesn't get out."

"No worries there," they chorused. Oliver walked off while the three went upstairs. Richie just wanted to settle down for a good night's sleep, but something was nagging and saying that he wasn't going to get it so soon.

"So what are your real names?" Both of them looked at him. "I know about Bart, Oliver and Adam."

"Arthur, everyone just calls me AC."

"Vic."

"And my name's really Richie."

"So are you like Adam?" AC asked.

"Yeah. Only not as old."

"I thought he was in his twenties. How old is he?" Vic inquired.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Vic shrugged as they reached the penthouse. Methos was waiting by the entrance of the living room. "How's Bart?"

"He got a head wound fighting Hanison. He's sleeping in his room."

"What are we doing with Hanison?" AC asked.

"Interrogation. Finding out how much Luthor knows."

"Who's first?" Richie asked.

"Oliver, when he gets back up here."

"We've got to wait. Man, I'm taking a break. Got any beer?" Richie asked.

"Who's watching?" Vic posed.

Methos looked back into the living room. Hanison was bound to a chair, gagged with any sharp objects on or around him taken away. "I think we'll be fine for thirty minutes. He can't get out easily." The four of them went back to the kitchen.

"Anybody got cards?" Richie was the first one to the refrigerator and the beer.

"Making this into a poker night?" AC was the one to grab the chips.

"Something like that." They waited for thirty minutes before checking on Hanison. He was awake and pissed. He saw Methos and started fighting the tape.

"Quit it, Hanison. You're not getting out that easily," Methos mocked. Hanison started trying to move the chair over to any of the tables. He couldn't make it far and ended up crashing on the floor. "Should we help him up?"

"Maybe it should be part of the interrogation," Richie cracked. AC nodded at Vic and they went to help him back up. No one heard the elevator open or the sound of footsteps. Methos and Richie were too involved in watching Hanison to notice that two people had snuck up on them.

"Maybe I should have assigned someone to also watch the elevators," Oliver quipped, leading them to jump and turn around. The guys inside and the second person next to him started laughing. The second person with them was a guy around his height but younger. "Clark Kent."

"Nice to meet you, Richie Ryan."

"Adam Allen."

"What were you doing out, Kent?"

"Chloe was trying to convince Lois to not go after two guys that had been taken out by a green arrow. Was taking back the evidence to Oliver and saw a very mad Lex walking out. What's going on?"

"The latest threat from Luthor's 33.1 project. He's been trying to capture immortality."

He looked at the two newcomers. "Want to explain?"

"There are certain people in the world that have the ability to live forever and Lex's is trying to replicate because he thinks it's healing powers and coming back from the dead," Richie shortened.

"They're not."

"No, it's not a genetics thing."

"We've never really tried the genetics part of it, Richie. It's not something that's part of our blood. We really have no idea what it is," Methos settled.

"For the other guys, it's not genetics either." He thought about it a minute. "AC's is and Vic's isn't. Bart's came from an outside source but can be replicated."

"So can yours, according to the super soldier we came across a few weeks ago," Oliver informed him. "Lex must have obtained some of your DNA to use and test on."

"I forgot about that." Clark started focusing on something. "Bart's having a nightmare."

Richie looked at him. "You can hear that?"

"Part of the gifts I have."

"I'll take care of Bart. Help out the guys, Clark." Oliver walked in the direction of the bedrooms.

"Want to join the poker game we had going?" Richie offered.

"Sure."

_

* * *

Oliver's Side_

The sheets were already on the floor when he opened the door. "Bart," he whispered. Oliver walked over to the bed and shook his shoulders. "Bart," he called a little louder. He stopped moving and his eyes opened up. He sat straight up, hitting him with his head in the exact area that he was injured earlier. His hand flew up just as Oliver steadied him. "Bart, are you all right?"

Bart took a minute to check his hand before answering. "Fine Ollie. Just a bad dream."

"I think it went past bad dream when you didn't answer the first time I said your name."

"I'm fine, Ollie. It was a bad dream."

Oliver tightened his grip a little bit. "It wasn't just a bad dream. What's wrong?"

_Other than you asking a personal question? _"Nothing."

"Fine," Oliver said, taking his hands off and raising them into a defensive pose. He moved onto the floor and grabbed a pillow. "If you're not going to tell me, I'm just going to have to stay until you do." He placed the pillow between his head and the wall and settled for a wait.

"Fine." Bart grabbed the sheets and covered himself up again. He turned away from Oliver and tried to go back to sleep. After five minutes, he turned back. "You won't tell the guys?"

"Why?"

"I don't want the guys to know."

"Fine, the guys won't know."

Bart breathed in deeply. "I was run down. I hadn't had a meal for a few days…"

* * *

Okay, so maybe this won't be the last chapter. But I make these two really long. Longer than most I write. Oh well.

Please review. It's a nice and green button. Green is in, especially for reviewing.


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